THIS IS RACHEL

Rachel is an author, blogger, and dessert activist. This blog has been read internationally by millions, but mainly she is just an ordinary homemaker living in the Midwest with her husband, David, and their three babies. They are currently renovating their 1970's colonial home.

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PLANTING GRASS SEED

November 14, 2016

In preparation for 2017, (the Summer of the Exterior) we had a few Fall, before-winter-comes goals on the to-do list. One of which was improving these awful dirt patches junking up our yard since we ripped out some unruly shrubs.

We began by considering sod, which would provide lush, thick, healthy grass instantly. It is quite expensive, however, and a job in itself to transport it. Thinking through the logistics was making sod feel less quick or instant at all and we decided to use the much cheaper route of planting seed.

Our front yard has a mix of lighting so we used an all-purpose seed mix for sunny and shady areas.

To plant the seed, we weeded the patch and then disturbed the soil with a metal rake. Using a handheld seeder, David spread the seed across the patch. After gently raking again to cover seeds with soil, we watered generously the first day, and then continued to water about twice a day everyday it did not rain for three weeks.

These photos are of the grass four weeks later. We will supplement with a little more seed in the spring to fill in spots that are sparse. Planting our own grass was easy and quite cheap if you do not mind being a bit patient for your yard to be green again.

This completes our phase of neutralizing our landscaping – removing anything we don’t want and filling in patches of mulch and grass. Now next summer we can build it back up again.

This is all looking really nice. Just for future reference, you can also reseed over snow in the winter – not tons of it, but if there’s a little on the ground, the seed will still take hold in the spring. Your house is looking beautiful. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.